Developer Obsidian is doing something novel with its Pillars Of Eternity series. Avowed is set in the same world, Eora, but rather than being a classic top-down RPG, it’s a first-person action RPG, placing players at the heart of its gorgeous, semi-open world. It’s an interesting twist for a developer that has a long history of creating sequels or spin-offs to beloved games from other developers, most notably its work on Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Neverwinter Nights 2 and Fallout: New Vegas (considered by some to be the stand-out entry in that series).

While Avowed dutifully pays homage to Pillars Of Eternity and its sequel, Deadfire, this standalone adventure is set in the Living Lands, a diverse map featuring the sort of lush forests, vertiginous coastlines and dingy caves that Elder Scrolls players have been yearning to explore ever since the release of Skyrim almost 14 years ago. Avowed has a much stronger focus on its companions, so expect to make the sort of connections forged in the Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Baldur’s Gate series. And, like last year’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard, expect combat to focus more on reaction than tactics.

Avowed is out now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.